Demography - American Sociological Association

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) EXERCISE*
Susan D. Stewart, University of Richmond
David R. Bowne, University of Richmond
Purpose:
The goal of this assignment is to familiarize students with the demographic applications of GIS
software ArcView 8.1. Students will formulate a research question, analyze data, and interpret
their findings.
Instructions:
Using ArcView 8.1, pose and answer a question for your state with the supplied U.S. Census
2000 data and either hospital or school locations. The question may be similar but not identical to
the example reviewed in class (see example below).
Complete and hand-in the following:
State your research question & briefly explain why it is worth answering (Social Significance).
Provide a summary of your results, including statistics relevant to your question (e.g. 19.4% of
married couples in Virginia live within 1 mile of a hospital). Also include a map that visually
conveys the results of your analysis.
Provide a brief explanation and discussion of the results. You should offer reasons for the results
and discuss possible implications for social policy. Also suggest other analyses or information
that are needed to more thoroughly address the issue, including at what scale (local, city, county,
state, federal) the issue should be examined.
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